LAWN SPRINKLER FLOW CONTROL DEVICE
A flow control device sized to fit into a pop-up sprinkler inlet reducing the cross-sectional area of the inlet thereby controlling the volume of water by restricting the flow able to pass through and inducing a pressure drop to the sprinkler head for correct droplet formation. A tapered body with spaced ridges permits the flow control device to “snap into” pop-up sprinkler inlets of different sizes. A top surface of the flow control device includes a small opening which acts as the new inlet. A cover cap and stem spring assembly of the pop-up sprinkler are removed from an installed pop-up sprinkler body revealing the inlet allowing the flow control device to be pressed downward into the inlet until one of the ridges snaps in place. The cover cap and stem spring assembly are then returned to the body completing the retrofit. A universal flow control device is also disclosed.
This invention relates to a flow control device for controlling water pressure and limiting water flow to sprinkler heads in lawn sprinkler systems, and for preventing water waste from broken sprinkler heads.
BACKGROUNDIn typical lawn sprinkler systems, manifolds of water supply pipes extend beneath the surface to be watered. Sprinkler heads are spaced at intervals around a matrix of buried supply pipes, and are attached to the underground pipes through risers or stems which threadedly engage subterranean fittings and extend vertically to, or above, the surface of the ground. A plurality of heads are usually served through a single valve.
Sprinkler heads may be of the fixed or pop-up variety. Pop-up sprinkler heads allow the sprinkler head to mount relatively close to the surface of the ground, elevating only when activated by water pressure resulting from actuating a valve to the system, either manually or electrically. When the water pressure is shut off, a pop-up sprinkler head will return to its resting position.
A problem with lawn sprinkler systems is their inefficient use and waste of water due to excess water pressure at the sprinkler head. This excess water pressure at the sprinkler head creates a misting or atomization effect at the sprinkler head and much of this mist is lost due to evaporation or wind effects resulting in wasted water. This is especially problematic for geographic areas (e.g., Nevada) experiencing water shortages. Known prior art devices for reducing pressure or controlling water flow involve somewhat complex assemblies which are relatively expensive and may be difficult to retrofit on existing lawn sprinkler systems.
Another very common problem with lawn sprinkler systems is damage to the sprinkler heads caused accidentally or by vandalism, or loss of heads to theft. Sprinkler heads are easily knocked off by pedestrian traffic, children playing on the lawn, lawn maintenance personnel and equipment, and the like. Typically, a single sprinkler valve will service a manifold having multiple sprinkler heads, frequently up to six, eight or more per line. When one sprinkler head is knocked off, water gushes from the broken line, often creating a geyser a number of feet in the air. Depending on the water pressure and the size of the line, water loss through a broken sprinkler head can be anywhere from 10-45 gallons per minute. Thus, even in a short sprinkler cycle, hundreds of gallons of water will be wasted through a broken sprinkler pipe. In addition, flow is diminished through the other sprinkler heads on the line to the point where, if the broken head is not promptly repaired, landscaping will die around the other sprinkler heads on the line. In residential settings, since lawn sprinklers may be activated by a clock for only a few minutes at a time, a broken head may not be noticed for many days, resulting in flooding and erosion in the small area where the system is broken, dying of grass in the area of adjacent sprinkler heads, and a very substantial waste of water.
It would be advantageous to develop a flow restriction device capable of being retrofitted into an existing landscape sprinkler system to provide favorable pressure and flow to each sprinkler head.
SUMMARYAccordingly, the flow control device is sized to fit into a pop-up sprinkler inlet to reduce the cross-sectional area of the inlet thereby controlling the volume of water by restricting the flow able to pass through and inducing a pressure drop to the sprinkler head for correct droplet formation by the nozzle. In one embodiment, the flow control device is funnel-shaped or tapered with spaced ridges permitting the flow control device to “snap into” pop-up sprinkler inlets of different sizes. A top or bottom surface of the flow control device includes an opening smaller than the pop-up sprinkler inlet whereby the flow control device opening acts as the new inlet.
One of the benefits of the flow control device disclosed herein is the ease with which the flow control device may be retrofitted into an installed pop-up sprinkler. In general, the cover cap and stem spring assembly of the pop-up sprinkler are removed from an installed pop-up sprinkler body such that the inlet at the bottom of the body is revealed. Then, the flow control device is pressed downward through the body into the inlet until one of the ridges snaps into the inlet whereby the ridge maintains the flow control device in place against water pressure traveling through the inlet and body. Finally, the cover cap and stem spring assembly are returned to the body completing the retrofit. Given the depth of the body, an elongated tool may be used to press the flow control device into the inlet which is integrated into the bottom the body.
Other variations, embodiments and features of the present invention will become evident from the following detailed description, drawings and claims.
For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles in accordance with the embodiments of the present invention, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended. Any alterations and further modifications of the inventive feature illustrated herein, and any additional applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated herein, which would normally occur to one skilled in the relevant art and having possession of this disclosure, are to be considered within the scope of the invention claimed.
A cap 220 on a top end 205 of the flow control device 200 includes an opening 225 smaller than the passageway opening at the bottom end 210 such that the opening 225 essentially becomes the new inlet for the pop-up sprinkler 100. As shown in
The flow control device 200 described herein may be made of plastics, alloys, metals, composites, polymers, resins and the like and may be made using molding, rapid prototyping and machining techniques. In one embodiment, as shown in
Although the invention has been described in detail with reference to several embodiments, additional variations and modifications exist within the scope and spirit of the invention as described and defined in the following claims.
Claims
1. A flow control device comprising:
- a body defining a passageway and having a top end and bottom end, said body tapered from said top end to said bottom end such that said top end has a greater diameter than said bottom end;
- one or more ridges extending outward from said body between said top end and said bottom end; and
- an opening in said top end, said opening in communication with said passageway.
2. The flow control device of claim 1 wherein said bottom end is dimensioned to fit into an inlet of a pop-up sprinkler.
3. The flow control device of claim 1 wherein said body is cylindrical.
4. The flow control device of claim 1 further comprising one or more vertical cut-outs in said body.
5. A flow control device comprising:
- a cylindrical body defining a passageway and having a top end and bottom end, said cylindrical body tapered from said top end to said bottom end such that said top end has a greater diameter than said bottom end;
- one or more ridges extending outward from said cylindrical body between said top end and said bottom end, said ridges having outer walls angled upward and horizontal upper surfaces; and
- an opening in said top end, said opening in communication with said passageway.
6. The flow control device of claim 5 wherein said bottom end is dimensioned to fit into an inlet of a pop-up sprinkler.
7. The flow control device of claim 5 further comprising one or more vertical cut-outs in said cylindrical body.
8. An apparatus comprising:
- a body containing at least a stem, spring assembly and inlet;
- a flow control device comprising a: a body defining a passageway, said body tapered from a top end to a bottom end such that said top end has a greater diameter than said bottom end; one or more ridges extending outward from said body between said top end and said bottom end; and an opening in said top end, said opening in communication with said passageway; and
- wherein a bottom end of said flow control device is inserted into said inlet.
9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said body is cylindrical.
10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said one or more ridges extend outward from said body between said top end and said bottom end, said ridges having outer walls angled upward and horizontal upper surfaces.
11. The flow control device of claim 8 further comprising one or more vertical cut-outs in said body.
12. A flow control device comprising:
- a body defining a passageway and having a top end and bottom end, said body comprising: a first portion having a tapered outer wall and upper edge forming a lower ridge, said first portion at the bottom end of the body; and a second portion having a vertical wall extending to a tapered upper wall extending to a lip, said vertical wall extending upward from an upper edge of a intermediary ridge, said lip at the top end of the body.
13. The flow control device of claim 12 further comprising an intermediary ridge above said lower ridge.
14. The flow control device of claim 12 further comprising a vertical wall extending between said lower ridge and intermediary ridge.
15. The flow control device of claim 12 further comprising one or more vertical cut-outs in said body.
16. The flow control device of claim 12 wherein said lower ridge has a smaller maximum diameter than said intermediary ridge.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 9, 2012
Publication Date: Feb 13, 2014
Inventors: Peter A. Maksymec (Las Vegas, NV), Joseph Ostrowski (Henderson, NV)
Application Number: 13/571,227
International Classification: B05B 1/30 (20060101);